


Next time you ask for a favor, make sure it won't kill me

by Calliopeia



Category: Batman - All Media Types, Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Batboys, F/M, Fake Dating, Gotham, MariBat, Miraculous AU, Miraculous Fanfic, fake dating au, mari - Freeform, marinette cheng - Freeform, marinette dupain cheng - Freeform, marinette x tim drake, mircaulous ladybug, tim drake - Freeform, timinette
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-14
Updated: 2020-04-27
Packaged: 2021-02-26 04:47:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,199
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21787741
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Calliopeia/pseuds/Calliopeia
Summary: Marinette Dupain-Cheng and Tim Drake have known each other for quite some time. They are good friends and trust with each other quite well, well enough that when in need, Mari decided to ask Tim for a little favor. Tim just hopes he'll be able to fulfill that favor before the girl kills him.A timinette fic.
Relationships: Tim Drake/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 39
Kudos: 462





	1. 1

It was a horrible Monday morning. The sky was grey and it seemed as if the rain would start pouring down at any given moment. The streets were filled by people with black umbrellas and cars honking to each other, trying to find a way out of the horrible traffic. In the middle of it all stood a young man, dressed in an impeccable black suit, with a red tie, and purple eye bags. A group of ladies giggled to themselves as they saw the back of the guy, already imagining the dreamy Chris Hemsworth face that he probably had. The giggles ended once they saw his face.

To say he looked horrible was an understatement. It was as if he had been punched the night before, ran over by a truck, and thrown out of the fifth floor of a building. He looked dead, as dead as Death itself. Scratch that, if Death had found him standing in the middle of the street like that, it would have offered him an appointment with its therapist.

You may be asking, why is he standing in the middle of a busy street, if not the busiest?

Well, there is a very simple answer.

“Mom, why is the guy over there acting like a pig?”

“A pig?”

“Yes, he is making oink oink!”

“Ignore him, darling. It’s just a normal Monday”

Ah, the classic sight of a Tim Drake sleeping in the middle of a crowd. Gothanians had already become used to the sight of the poor boy falling asleep wherever he could on his way to the Wayne Tower. Some pitiful citizens would hand him the remainings of their morning coffees, while tourists would screech in terror when they saw Tim’s dead body for the first time.

They couldn’t blame him, at least not as much as they would want to. The poor boy was barely 17 years old and yet he was already the CEO of a very important company. They would place bets on what type of job the boy had, which assignments were the ones that made him pull all-nighters. The Wayne family would only smirk every time they heard of the bets. None of them were even close.

Last night, Tim Drake, better known as Red Robin, had been responsible for stopping the Riddler from exploding a hospital. It had taken him two hours to decipher the riddle (he was losing the hang of it), and once he had the answer, the Riddler thought it would be a good idea to keep him running from one side of the city to the other as he searched for the button to stop the bombs. Throughout the night, he had been run over by a taxi, bumped into three brick walls and fell out of a three-story building without his grappling hook.

Jason had had the time of his life when Tim returned to the mansion. Alfred didn’t say anything, but Tim knew he was also dying inside.

So, he thought Gotham could stand his civilian self-falling asleep everywhere in exchange for keeping the city safe.

“What did Mr. Wayne make you do this time?”

Tim opened his eyes at the sound of a sweet voice and the smell of caffeine. He grabbed the coffee being extended to him and gulped it all down in one swift shot.

“What didn’t he make me do”, he answered to the tiny French girl that was better known as his personal guardian angel. The blue-eyed angel in question was smiling at the corpse.

“Kinky”

“Gross, that’s my father you weirdo”

Tim chuckled as he allowed himself to be dragged through the street by Marinette Dupain-Cheng, or Nettie as he liked to call her.

It had been a year ago the first time he met her. As always, he was dead, resting against a shop’s entrance. He had ended up there by accident, being pushed by the masses to the side until he ended up resting against the wall. With his pale face and dark eyebags (as well as the tiny bit of drool on the corner of his mouth), he surely gave Marinette the scare of her life.

Straight out of Paris, Marinette had decided to open up a bakery as far away from Paris as she could. So, she found Gotham, where a certain Bruce Wayne offered her to be his go-to designer when he saw one of her fashion shows promoted by the Agreste Brand.

On her bakery’s opening day, she had the luck of finding Tim Drake’s corpse right outside of her store. She did what every sane Parisian would do and punched him straight in the stomach.

After Tim had vomited all he had left inside of his body, Mari had offered him a free coffee and a croissant as an apology. Less to be said, it was the start of a beautiful friendship. Mari looked at their relationship as a sort of game. Every morning she played “Guess where Tim Drake is asleep”, immediately followed by “How much caffeine can I give to a teenager without giving him a heart attack”. Believe her, it is more than you would guess.

Marinette opened the bakery’s doors, sitting Tim in one of the many velvet sofas the store had. In front of him, he already had another cup of coffee waiting for him and a plate of mint and coffee-flavored macaroons.

“What did I do to deserve you?”, he cried as he started eating.

“Nothing. At least not yet”

“Yet?”, he spoke with three macaroons in his mouth. “What do you need?”

“First, for you to learn how to eat”, she threw one of the cushions to his face. “Really. One would think that the Wayne kids would have more manners”

Tim smirked and gulped down the food.

“What can I say, we are adopted”

“Dick is also adopted, and he doesn’t act like an animal”

“He was an error in the algorithm. We are still making studies to find what went wrong with that one”

_Meanwhile, Richard Grayson sneezed in the Wayne Building. He apologized as he let out a single bad word: dammit._

“That makes sense. Back to the matter at hand…”, she exchanged the already empty cup with a newly served one. Tim made lovey eyes at her and tried kissing her hand as a joke, but she immediately slapped him as a joke.

“If you want me to model for your new line, you don’t even have to ask. Actually, I already predicted you would do it, which is why I have taken the sad decision of having a Brazilian”

“A Brazilian?”

“That’s right”

“To model for my line?”

“No one else’s”

“On the balls?”

“Even on the balls”

“Just to be clear, I recorded this conversation and you can’t back down from it”

“I hate you”

“I know”

Finally, Mari picked up the last cup and went to the back of the shop, leaving the dirty plates ready for washing. She went to the front once more, sporting her usual pink apron. It was full of little red birds, robins. It had been a birthday gift from Tim, but he hadn’t expected for Mari to use it as much as she did. The sight of Mari wearing it always made Tim smile.

“Anyways, as much as I love you modeling for me, I was going to ask for something else”

Tim stood up from the sofa and went to the restroom to wash his face, brush his teeth and comb his hair (Mari always had a toothbrush and a hairbrush waiting for him every morning). He made sure to leave the door open to continue the conversation.

“What else would be better than my Brazilian?”

“Honestly? Nothing, but I really need you. Your father decided that it would be a great idea to have a dinner party in honor of my next line. As always, he decided to invite a lot of famous people and designers to make me more known”

“Where’s the problem in it? Do you want me to talk him out of it?”

“No! I am really grateful for the event, and it will really help my career. The problem is that between the invited designers is Gabriel Agreste, and wherever he goes…”

“Adrien follows behind”

“Exactly”

“So,” an evil smirk appeared on his face as he fixed his tie, “you want me to get the other Wayne boys together to make your ex learn a lesson?”

“Tim, no violence in my special night”

Whenever Mari used _that_ tone on him, he knew she was being serious. Like a scolded puppy, he gave a sheepish grin.

“Right, sorry”

“I want him to learn a lesson, yes, but not in that way. I want to make sure that he knows very well who exactly he lost and how much he fucked it up. Also, I don’t want him to try anything on me”

“I second that idea”

“Great! Because, at least for the night, you’ll be my dearly beloved boyfriend”

At that moment, Tim Drake was very grateful for many things.

He was grateful for meeting such a wonderful friend. He was grateful for Bruce admiring that same wonderful friend and giving her all the respect and admiration she deserves. He was grateful that two years ago Adrien Agreste cheated on her because it is thanks to that he got to meet her. He was grateful for her parents that taught her to make such an awesome coffee.

But most of all, he was grateful that he was inside the bathroom as his cheeks went as red as they could and he started having a coughing spree.

“Everything ok in there Timmy?”, Mari called.

“Yes”, he managed to reply. “It just got a little cold in here”

“You need to take care of yourself, you know?”, she said as she went into the bathroom. She laid her hands on top of his shoulders. In the mirror, Tim could see the image of a very flustered boy and a very beautiful girl that was smirking as if she was the devil and she didn’t even know it.

“I can’t allow my boyfriend to get sick before our special night”

She gave him a peck on the cheek as she went back to the kitchen to have everything ready for her costumers.

One day of those, Marinette was really going to murder him.


	2. 2

“I think it looks great”

“Well, what you think doesn’t matter because it is horrible”

“Do you really need to be in such a sour mood?”

“I am not in a sour mood, I am just saying the truth”

Mari and Tim were bickering, very loudly in front of a very big mirror in a very small boutique. Meaning, everyone that was inside could hear them. The poor owner was grumbling under his nose about how we would never allow teenagers to go into his store again, especially not if it was those two.

The two in question were debating f the suit (or as a certain bird boy liked to call, the cage with a bow tie) Tim was trying on was the best for the future event. The suit was normal. Adequate for the occasion. It was of dark navy color and fitted Tim perfectly.

The problem was that Marinette, being herself, didn’t find it good enough. She had tried convincing Tim that she should be the one making his suit, after all, it was her event. But Tim didn’t want to overload her with work (she already had a few commissions on her back) and thought that it would be best to reuse one of the perfect suits that Bruce had given to him over the years.

But, Marinette was stubborn, and with the help of his dear brothers, she hid all of his suits to make him need a new one. Tim had searched all over the Wayne mansion for a week, but the suits were nowhere to be found. He threatened Damian to tell him their hiding spot, but the little boy flipped him off. Dick just smiled and told him to give up already. Jason still laughs every time he sees Tim.

When he went to Alfred, the butler said that he had bowed his secrecy towards Miss Dupain-Cheng. To say that Tim was offended is an understatement. And Bruce didn’t even bat an eye before ignoring him completely.

The suits’ disappearance was driving him crazy. He drank more coffee than usual and he was beginning to see double 24/7. How could he, the greatest detective in the world, not find some stupid suits? Even when he went out at night as Robin, he couldn’t stop thinking about those stupid pieces of clothing and stupid little Marinette that just wouldn’t let him help her.

He decided that the missing suits could wait, and went to buy a new suit without Marinette knowing.

Or at least that was the plan.

“This would have been all over if you hadn’t taken _my_ suits”

“I would like to correct; this would have been all over if you had accepted _my_ suit”

“Why are you even here Nettie?”

“I am stopping you from making the worse decision in your life”

“Buying a suit?”

“Buying a suit!”, she screeched. “If that’s what you can even call this monstrosity. Don’t you get it? With your built and your face, you could be wearing the weirdest suit in the world and it would still look good on you! Imagine if you were wearing the most beautiful suit, you would look like a fricking god!”

Her face was red, probably because of the anger.

But wait.

If you read between the lines of what Marinette had just spoken, and Tim was a specialist in reading between the lines, she had basically called him handsome. Not only handsome, but she had also said that if dressed correctly, he could look like a god.

Marinette Dupain-Cheng had just called him handsome.

Him? Tim Drake? Was the room getting hot or was it just him?

None of them could look each other to their eyes and Tim was sure his mouth was hanging wide open.

“If the pair of love birds have stopped their discussion, I would like to ask them to get out right now and if you ever return, I’ll make sure you pay”

“But sir, I am still wearing your suit”

“Keep it! If it is as bad as the young lady thinks it is then just keep it!”

They were kicked out of the store with barely enough time to pick their stuff. Tim had managed to slip some dollars over the man’s desk without him noticing, so as to make sure that the suit wasn’t a financial loss.

Once they were out, Tim sighed. He grabbed her by the hand and looked right into her eyes.

“Nettie, I don’t want you to trouble yourself with another design. My old suits, even the piece of garbage I’m wearing, are great. It is your night and I want you to take all of the attention, so a simple suit would be best”

“I know”, she rested her head on top of his chest. “But it is not a trouble for me at all. And ever since you said yes to the event, I have been planning a coordinated dress with your suite. And I am already halfway through my dress and your suit is almost finished”

Of course, sweet, perfect Marinette did something like that. He should have thought she would do that, he should have _known._ But when things were related to her he just… couldn’t think. That needed to be fixed, or else he would be of no use to Batman and the others.

First things first, he needed to clear things up with Marinette.

“Wait, what?”, he grabbed her by the shoulders. “How did you make it? You didn’t even have my measures”

“The suits”, she smiled. “They were made by tailors, so they have your perfect measurements. That’s why I borrowed them”

“You little rascal, you stole them”, he chuckled as he let go of her shoulders and instead placed an arm over her body, pulling her close as they finally started walking away from the boutique.

“Nope, I asked Mr. Wayne if I could take one of them and when he found out you were planning on using one of the oldies, he went crazy and mailed them all to me”

“What? Bruce did that?”

“I think he liked the designs I showed him for our outfits”

And that explained why he couldn’t find them. He never thought Bruce would be involved in the disappearance. He had suspected of Jason and certainly Dick, but never good old Brucey. Heck, even Alfred was more likely to help Marinette steal his suits.

Tim pulled his free hand through his hair.

“Of course he did! He likes everything about you, the only treason he hasn’t tried adopting you is that I called dips first!”

“You called _dips_ on me?”

 _Yes, because if I didn’t you would be my sister by now and I am against any form of incest_ , he thought to himself behind a playful smirk.

“Why are you smiling like that?”, she squinted her eyes. Gosh, she looked so cute when she was being a detective. Time to change the topic before she realized that Tim was singing Sweet Home Alabama in his head.

“ _You_ called me handsome”, he teased.

Marinette turned as red as a tomato and nearly fell over by stepping on her own foot. Luckily Tim put his arm in front of her before she fell face-first into the solid concrete, probably taking with her some poor civilians. He didn’t need more odd views from Gotham, so he picked her up and carried her as if she was a sack of potatoes. That didn’t work at all.

“Nettie, you need to take care of yourself. I can’t have my girlfriend with a concussion before her special night”

“Shut up”, she grumbled. “And let me go!”

She started kicking him and punching his back. They hurt, a lot, but Tim just kept going. After knowing her for so long, he had already become used to her abnormal strength for a girl her size.

“No, you’ll end up falling again”

“I won’t!”

“Yes, you will”

With that, Mari finally gave up. She allowed her body to be pulled down by gravity, making it easier for Tim to carry her. The people around them continued giving them weird stares, but Tim didn’t really care. They were starting to get near to Mari’s bakery, and he was sure that the first thing she would make him do was to take his measures to check that the new suit was going according to plan. He didn’t want for the happy moment he had to end so fast, so as soon as he saw the bakery, he turned around.

“Tim!”

“Hm?”

“The bakery!”

“What, are you hungry Nettie?”

“No! The bakery is the other way!”

“What bakery?”

“Tim!”

“Yes, Nettie? Oh right, we were discussing how handsome you said I am”

“N-no I didn’t!”

“Right, sorry. You said that I looked like a god”

Behind him, something made a noise. Just like a car’s tire losing its air. Tim chuckled to himself, knowing that Mari was probably on the verge of death.

“So, about that godly suit you promised me…”

“Forget it, I decided not to do it because a Wayne has just kidnapped me”

“Oh, come on, Nettie”

“Fine, but first you need to go to your balls waking appointment”

“Shit”

“I agree. Someone behind us seems to be calling the police. I think they seriously think you are kidnapping me, Timmy”

“Oh, shit”

He finally put Marinette down to turn around and speak with the worried civilian, only to find out that there was no one calling the police.

“You little liar”, he exclaimed towards Marinette. “You tricked me!”

“I learned from the best”; she shrugged. “Now let’s go get you that suit ready”

Mari grabbed his hand, forcing him to follow right behind her. Tim smiled, already thinking about how much fun he would have in the event’s night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A song I was listening to while writing: Cigarette Daydreams, by Cage the Elephant


	3. 3

“Your father is…”

“Excessive? Over the top? Looking for compliments? Extravagant?

“I was going to say perfectionist, but that works too”

Marinette and Tim were not even inside the building and they already knew that Bruce Wayne didn’t took the event lightly. The Wayne Building was completely lit in red and black lights, which made the building completely visible even from kilometers away. And as if the attention the lights attracted wasn’t enough, there was a line of deluxe cars, most of them unique versions, making a line to get inside. Mari could only think about all the people that was waiting inside those cars, waiting to get inside, waiting to meet _her._ It looked like something out of a dream, a storybook for children.

But no, it was all real. And she knew it more than anyone because she had worked her ass out for that moment. All throughout her life, this had been her biggest goal, and everything had been planned to accomplish it. There were some bumps along, like all those free commissions she did in Paris, but she learned from her mistakes. The mistakes made her what she is: Bruce Wayne’s designer, also known as the industry’s youngest promise. Scratch that, she wasn’t a promise. No, she had already proven her value among the best of the best. She was the best of the best.

In the sky, a helicopter flew down towards the building’s ceiling. She didn’t need to imagine who was inside, the purple paint gave it away. Mari smiled, happy that Jagged could make it to the event. He had a tour planned right on the date, but he told her he could be there for at least one or two hours. After all, what kind of rockstar would he be if he didn’t arrive late to his own concert? Also, he wanted to see his kind of adopted niece. That’s also appropiate for a rock star.

Tim grabbed her hand and gave it a slight squeeze. His palms were sweaty, which would normally gross someone out, but Mari accepted it gladly. She was so glad to be there with him of all people. The Waynes had done a lot for her, but Wayne or not, Tim had been there for her just like she had been there for him.

“Are you ready to go in?”, he asked with a little smile.

“I’m always ready Timmy”, Mari grinned in return and they both got out of the car.

The photographers waiting at the sidelines of the building went crazy. How could they not? The CEO of Wayne Enterprises was hand by hand with the designer Dupain-Cheng. Did that mean they were dating? That would explain all of the shots taken of them around the city on the last days.

But for a moment, the photographers and interviewers forgot about the new lucky pairing. Instead, their clothes took the spotlight.

Tim Wayne, as promised, was wearing a suit that made him look like a god. It was black, like most suits, but on top of the jacket and pants little red flowers were embroidered with detail. The flowers wrapped around his legs and torso, until they reached his waist, were the thread of the flowers started coming apart becoming embroidered strands that seemed to hug his arms and chest. The shirt under the suit was bright red, but from the little it could be seen, it was see through with the exception of the neck line The top buttons were gone, making it look laid back. The suit was paired with black simple shoes, with some red accents on the laces. With his messy hair and attractive smirk, it was for sure he was going to be a heart thief for the night.

And on his hand, he was accompanied by a goddess to make everything balanced.

Marinette Dupain-Cheng was wearing a Hanfu inspired dress. It was bright red, with a long skirt and the sleeves had a trailing which almost touched the ground. The dress was made out of a flowy light material, making the sleeves and skirt look almost as if they were made out of air. The skirt had a slit that ran up her leg, making her red lace heels visible. At the waist a black piece of velvet was strapped around her, making a tiny bow at the back. Then, the red fabric became completely see through all throughout the top half of the dress. From her shoulders, black flowers sprung to life, covering her skin, making only a few parts visible. Her hair was up in a bun and a black lace held it up.

Apart, they were amazing. But seen together, you could see all the tought process that took to make those outfits. They were made to be together, and the results were breath taking. This was the reason why Dupain-Cheng was the best in the industry.

As they walked up to the glass doors, the photographers stopped them for pictures while the interviewers shouted questions.

“Who was invited to the event?”  
“Is it true that Audrey Bourgois was not invited?”  
“Was that Jagged Stone’s helicopter?”

“Who are your biggest rivals in the fashion industry?”  
“Why is Jason Wayne here? What happened to him?”

Most of the questions were answered quickly, always with a smile and a bit of friendly chat. Mari was just like that, kind to everyone. She had a soft spot for reporters, reminding her of one of her best friends back in Paris. She knew how much work and passion it took to have that career, so she always made sure to act respectfully towards them.

Right before going inside, one question caught their attention.

“Are you two a couple?”

Marinette and Tim turned around to look at the interviewer. The others went completely silent, clearly waiting for the answer. Mari looked up towards Tim with a raised eyebrow, but it seemed as if Tim had things under control. He was standing directly behind her and he crouched a bit so that he could lay his chin on top of her shoulder. It was a funny gesture, but the cameras were already flying to take the most out of it.

“What do you think?”, he asked pruposefully loud in order to be heard, “Should we tell them, Angel?”

Tim’s eyes were glinting and his devilish smile made Mari want to kiss him right there and then, with all the cameras as witnesses.

Instead, she smiled back.

“I think they already figured it out, Timmy”

Tim stood back to his full height and Mari took it as an opportunity to hug his arm and walk into the building, leaving the crowd outside like a mess.

As soon as the glass doors closed behind them, both Tim and Mari lost their composure.

“Do you think we fooled them?”, Mari asked with a squeak, her face as red as her dress.

“I… I… Well… Yes… I mean…”, Tim couldn’t even speak, covering his mouth with his hand as an effort to hide the blush growing on his cheeks.

Sadly, their cute awkward moment was interrupted by a man in a blue velvet suit, also coming from the hands of Marinette.

“I think that the only ones fooled here are you two idiots”, Jason chuckled; clearly being able to see what everyone but Tim and Mary saw. “Now come, B is waiting for you two”

“What?”, Mari asked, clearly not understanding.

“Excuse him, I think that whatever brought him back also messed up his head”, replied Tim, also clearly not understanding.

Jason sighed, knowing they were clearly made for each other.

“Forget it and follow me. Also, no one is seeing you, there’s no need to keep holding each other like that”

With the energy of someone who just dropped a microphone, Jason walked away expecting the other two to follow him.

Marinette and Tim jumped away from each other and quietly walked behind Todd, each thinking about how close they had been, how the other one smelled, and how it had been so incredible to be dating for some minutes in front of the cameras.

“Why is Bruce waiting for us?”, Tim asked once he finally found his voice back.

“Don’t know, I didn’t ask. Probably it’s one of his pricey surprises”

“Pricey surprises?”, Mari interrupted. “I thought the party was the pricey surprise”

“Wouldn’t we all love that? Sadly, B has the bad habit of showing how much he cares with how much he spends. Be prepared for everything, as long as it’s somewhat inside American laws and it doesn’t break any human or animal right violation, then everything is up for game”

“Somewhat? And what if they are European laws?”

Tim gave her a shrug.

“Then he simply doesn’t care”

They got on the elevator and Jason pressed the button for the top floor, were the party was being held. Since they had taken the elevator designated for building’s workers, they were a bit tight in space, making Tim and Mari get closer to each other. Tim raised an eyebrow to his brother while trying not to think about Mari.

“May I ask why are we taking the smaller elevator?”

“The others were going to be full of celebrities and business men trying to get attention. I thought it would be more comfortable”

Seeming like a valid answer, Tim let him off the hook.

Jason simply smiled at the sight of the love bird trying to evade each other’s eyes. If someone had told him that playing as Cupid would get him to make Tim uncomfortable and incredibly quiet, he would have done it sooner. It was a treasure found too late. Well, there was always Damian to play with.

The elevator doors opened and the group went towards the glass doors, where the party could clearly be heard and seen. Some of the people inside were already turning around and pointing at the new arrivals.

“You two should go in”, Jason said as he turned around back towards the elevator.

“What about you?”

“I need to go back and see if I can find Jon before Damian. I want to give him some advice on how to conquer the demon child”

Mari chuckled and grabbed Jason’s arm once again. She knew that somewhere inside, with those people, was Adrien Agreste. And she knew that as soon as she saw him, she would notice how much better her life became after all those years.

“Ready?”, she asked.

“I thought you were always ready”

“I am”

The couple went inside, each with the biggest smile on their faces.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A song I was listening to while writing:Bang!, by AJR


	4. Chapter 4

Tim Drake never considered himself a religious person.

If his life was a movie and someone decided to watch it, they would realize that Tim never believed in anything. At least not in the religious point of view.

Back when he was little, when there was no Batman or Robin, he was completely on his own. A tiny fragile boy against the world, would be the synopsis of the movie. No one to help him, no one to protect him. The people that were supposed to always be by his side were often the ones that made him fall to his knees over and over again.

Little Tim couldn’t believe in anything, or anyone, because he just couldn’t understand why someone would allow that to happen to him. He decided that if there was a being up there, they weren’t worth the time.

Go some years to the future and then appears Batman, and a new Robin by his side. A not so tiny boy with a way of defending himself against the world, a way of defending others too. He didn’t need help because he had become the help. Now he was the one who protected others, the one who could help. And he had someone watching over him, someone to admire, someone to believe in.

But then Robin realized that Batman held his own secrets, secrets that didn’t make him that heroic. He realized that the only reason Batman protected him was because he had failed at protecting someone else. Robin decided that if Batman was the closest to a god he would ever get, he wasn’t worth the effort.

More years ahead and now there wasn’t just Batman and Robin. There was Batman and at least 5 other versions of the same mask he had been so proud of wearing. Of course, he had been one of those versions, but it didn’t hit as hard until he was the one replaced. So not so little Tim decided that he couldn’t be Robin anymore, as much as it hurt. But if he wasn’t Robin, and he certainly wasn’t little Tim, then who was him?

He decided that maybe the one he should start believing in had to be himself. The whole “love yourself before loving others” but in belief. So he worked until he became someone that wasn’t little nor a version of someone’s past. He decided that if there really was no god, then he didn’t lose anything by putting himself first.

And then, almost at the end of the movie, he found someone. It wasn’t Batman and his flocks of Robins anymore, neither was it himself. It was a Ladybug that had somehow found the way into the city, and by doing so, she destroyed every expectation he had on people. She even changed his name. So Timmy decided that once he believed in himself, it was time to also believe in someone else.

And that someone came in a package full of problems and happiness, jokes and tears. Sometimes the little goddess that found him couldn’t do anything but stay all day in bed, and he stayed by her side as well as he could. Sometimes the little goddess got mad at him without reason, and he gave her and himself time to understand her feelings. Sometimes the little goddess held back secrets of her past, of someone else. And Timmy didn’t care because he knew than if she ever was ready, she would tell him. And there was no problem with secrets from the past.

Sometimes, the little goddess was the only one who believed in him. And she reminded him everyday of why he did what he did, and why he was necessary in this world.

By the end of the movie, you could say that Tim really wasn’t a religious person. He didn’t believe in a God, he had no religion.

But it was goddamn sure that he was a believer. In himself and the girl that was grabbing him by the arm in that very moment.

Mari looked beautiful at that moment, but honestly, when didn’t she? Even among the most important celebrities in the world, she still stood out. The way her smile reflected the lights, the way her eyes glinted like the sky. Yes, he was sure he was with the right person at the moment.

Even if it was for the wrong reasons.

“Have you seen him?”, she whispered through her teeth.

“Not really”, Tim whispered back.

He wished Adrien wasn’t at the party. He understood how important it was for Mari to make sure the past was in the past, but for someone that Tim hadn’t ever met in his life, he was sure he hated the guy. Just from the little snippets Mari had told him of her life in Paris, he knew that the guy was wrong in many different ways.

For once in his life, Tim was having a good time in one of Bruce’s parties. He really didn’t want for the parisian boy to ruin the night.

He was so lost in his thoughts that someone grabbed the opportunity and took away Mari from his arm. At first, he went tense, already thinking of ways to get her out of danger. But then he heard her laugh and he saw she was safe.

The artist Jagged Stone was hugging her was exclaiming a lot of things very rapidly and, of course, in french. Tim knew how to speak the language, but the many accents always confused him. He probably would have paid more attention to the conversation, but he really didn’t want to waste efforts on eavesdropping on their conversation.

So instead, he smiled at them while Mari gave him an apologetic nod.

“ _I’ll be with Bruce”,_ he mouthed.

Mari just smiled before giving all her attention to Jagged.

Tim turned around and started looking for Bruce. He needed to discuss with him some matters of the company, especially about how the implications of him and Mari dating would affect their public image. Even if it was a lie, at the end of the day, everything he did in the public eye ended up affecting the company. He couldn’t give himself the pleasure of having a fake girlfriend if the investors thought it would make him look too juvenile.

Ha. Juvenile, as if he wasn’t at least thirty years younger than most of them.

Tim moved across the floor with swift movements. From time to time, girls and boys tried grabbing onto his hand, asking him for a dance, but he always let them down fast and nice. Some tried offering him alcoholic drinks, which he had to refuse at least 3 times in order for the other party to understand that he wasn’t interested. And then came the businessman, trying to catch him offward with questions about the stock and the Wayne Enterprises’ relationship with Asia’s market. Just like before, he gave them fast and nice answers.

Without Mari by his side, he was starting to remember why exactly he hated Bruce’s events.

And there he was, the man of the hour. At least the man of _his_ hour, Tim was pretty sure that most people were looking for a chat with Marinette.

Bruce was drinking some kind of weird fuzzy drink with his old pal, Clark Kent. They were laughing, probably talking about their kids (as they always did), when Tim interrupted them.

“Hey Bruce, we need to talk about the relationship”

Tim had to almost scream in order to be heard by Bruce. Why did the music have to be so loud? This was supposed to be a dinner, not a nightclub.

“Forget that for now and enjoy the party, Tim”

“What?”, Tim said even higher than before, “What do you mean forget it? Don’t you get that this whole thing will put the investors at my neck?”

“They’re always at your neck, there’s nothing new about that”

“Aren’t you worried about the interviews? Or how they will make Mari and I look in the tabloids?”

Bruce raised an eyebrow at him. They were almost the same height now, and he still had the habit of looking down at Tim. It infuriated the younger one more than anything.

“So, this is about Marinette?”

“Of course it’s about Mari!”, Tim wanted to slap some sense into Bruce. How could he not understand that it would affect Mari too?

“What do you want me to do? You two planned this, you should have considered how the public would take it”

“We did consider it! Why do you think we are still kids Bruce?”

Was he angry? Was that the tone of voice he did when he was angry? Tim didn’t understand what was happening. He had looked for Bruce to have a cold conversation, a busniness conversation. Instead he ended up screaming at him in anger. Why? There was nothing to be angry of, right?

“I don’t think of any of you as kids. You know that. What I still don’t understand is why you care about how the others will take it. It doesn’t matter”, Bruce said as calmly as ever. It had been some time since the last time he had had this type of discussion with Tim, but he knew that there was no point in getting as angry as the boy. Most of the time, Tim got angry because he was stressed with a problem. And he always knew the solution to his problems, even if he didn’t see it at first glance.

“It does matter!”

“Why does it matter, Tim?”

“Because it’s fake!”

Ah, and there it was. The problem.

Tim was agitated as his mind ran over and over their conversation. Yes, the relationship was fake. It was planned that way, it was the whole point. But why was it a problem?

“And why does its fakeness matter?”

“Because”, Tim was starting to talk lower and slowly, already knowing what Bruce was doing. “Because it shouldn’t be fake”

Bruce simply nodded. He gave Clark his drink, who had been badly acting as if he hadn’t heard the conversation. The older man put a hand on top of Tim’s shoulder, just like when Tim still worked as Robin.

“Then go tell her that”

Tim breathed in and out. Was he really ready to have that conversation with Mari? What if she didn’t return his feelings? What if she decided to end their friendship?

He didn’t want to put their friendship at risk. Not if that was as close as he was ever going to get to her.

But Bruce was right. He needed to tell her.

Tim spun his head, looking for Mari’s dress. Finally, he found the familiar sight amongst a group of people and without giving Bruce any thanks, he started walking towards her. Walking might be not the right word, but it was the word Tim preferred to use.

Of course, that walking turned to sprinting when he saw Gabriel Agreste and his son talking to Mari.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A song I was listening to while writing: Mr/Mme, by Loic Nottet.


	5. Chapter 5

Mari would never admit it to anyone, but she hated it when Tim left. She understood he was doing it out of kindness and respecting her privacy. And really, she was grateful for it. It had been so long since the last time she got to talk face to face to Uncle Jagged and Penny, and it would have been uncomfortable talking with them in front of Tim, who didn’t know them as well as she did. But that didn’t stop her from missing his body’s warmth.

Even without Tim, she enjoyed her time. Jagged and her started talking about the future MDC line and the up coming worldwide tour of Jagged. They would remember old anecdotes and inside jokes, laughing as loud as hyenas, while Penny simply smiled by their side.

“So, how’s Gotham?”

It was the first time someone from Paris, outside of her direct family, asked her that. The school friends she had met with before, were way more interested in talking about the past and getting new experiences together. Not really about the present.

“It’s great!”, she said cheerfully. And truly, it was. Gotham, outside from the danger of living in the notorius city, was a dream come true. “I can’t imagine being anywhere else in the world”

“Then that means you have found your place”, Penny said with her usual kind smile.

“And friends? How are you on that topic?”

Jagged was clearly being over caring, as always.

“Me and my friends back in Paris talk almost every day. Sometimes Alya and I make video calls in the middle of the night”

“But, American friends? Friends in Gotham?”

Mari thought about that. Since she had arrived to Gotham, she had decided to focus more on her work than on making any kind of relationships. If anything, the friends she had found in Gotham came from her work, or from the streets in Tim’s case. Now that she thought about it, all her friends from Gotham had, either currently or in the past, the name Wayne.

“There’s less of those, but I care for the ones I have. Like Jason and Timmy-“

“Wait, Tim Drake? The guy you were with just now?”, Jagged interrupted her. “I thought you guys were dating”

Marinette went inmediately red. She wasn’t supposed to say the truth, but it was Uncle Jagged. It wouldn’t hurt anyone, right? And no one was paying attention to their little chat, they were all too focused on the music and the drinking.

“No”, she answered. “Tim and I are just friends, but we are acting as partners to get away from some people”

Jagged was about to ask once again, when Penny poked him under the ribs. Jagged flexed down a bit because of the pain, and Penny whispered something on his ear. Jagged’s eyes went wide with understanding and his mouth formed a small _oh._

Some years back, when the whole Adrien situation had happened, Mari had gone running to Jagged and Penny. They helped her get back up on her feet and made sure to keep her as far away from Adrien as possible. Their efforts went as far as investing even more on her brand, so that she would have enough money to move to wherever she decided.

She chose Gotham.

“Is he here?”

“I haven’t seen him yet. But Bruce invited Gabriel because he’s still an important person in the fashion industry. I suppose Gabriel brought Adrien with him”

Jagged nodded and started looking left and right for any sign of the blonde. With his height and the way he moved his heas, he looked just like an ostrich. Penny and her shared a knowledgable look and started chuckling.

It was fun, being with them like this. She really missed them.

Sadly, the two of them had to go because of the concert. They said goodbye, took a few pictures, and Jagged and Penny were already on their way back to the helicopter.

Alone in the middle of the dance floor, Mari tried searching with her eyes for Tim. She thought that maybe he would be with the older looking man in the corners, but he wasn’t anywhere to be found. She sighed, her mind set on going to him as soon as she found him.

Suddenly, two hands placed on top of her shoulders. She felt a chill go through her body, already fearing just who it might be. The person behind her brought their lips close to her ear. There was no question, if the person said the wrong thing or had the wrong voice, she was going to punch them until they didn’t remember their name.

“Boo”, the boy said to her ear.

Yes, that wasn’t the right choice.

She turned around and gave him a punch directly to the middle of his face. The boy groaned and put a hand on top of his mouth, right were her fist collided with his skin.

That’s when she noticed that the boy, or more like man, had blue eyes and dark hair. Yes, punching him of all people certainly wasn’t the right choice.

“Damn, Mari!”, Dick said as he continued covering his mouth. By his side, an incredibly dressed Kori laughed at his pain.

“You said a bad world, dear”

“Right! Sorry Marinette”

“What? No! I am sorry! I shouldn’t have punched you!”, Mari squeaked as she got closer to Dick to examine where she had hurt him. He had a broken lip, and the top of his mouth was beginning to swollen, but it didn’t look that bad. She asked a waiter to get her a tissue and a pack of ice.

“No, no”, Dick said as he tried pushing her away. “It was my fault, I shouldn’t have gone up to you like that”

Kori nodded behind Dick.

“He’s right. Next time someone approaches you like that, don’t punch him but tackle him to the floor and scream as high as you can until you aren’t the only one beating the crap out of the creep”

“Are you calling me a creep?”, Dick shrieked.

“Yes, I am”. The waiter came back with the tissue and the pack of ice, which Kori gladly took and started dabbing the ice on the face of her fiancé. “You of all people should know that isn’t the right thing to do”

“I wanted to surprise Mari!”

“You did, but not how you wanted”, Mari grinned.

Once Dick stopped moaning because of the pain, he seemed to remember why he had been searching for her.

“Kori and I got you a present!”, he said excitedly. Kori nodded.

“It’s a traditional dress from my home. The tradition is that it is passed down the family, but since Dick and I don’t have any kids, I decided you were the right choice”

“Oh, guys! Thank you!”

“Yeah, well. I tried giving it to Damian since he’s my little brother, but he threatened with destroying the dress”, Dick sighed, causing Mari to pat his shoulder. How Dick was one of the Waynes, she would never understand.

Which reminded her of Tim.

“By the way, have you seen Tim? I’ve been looking for him for a while now”

“Wasn’t him with you?”, Dick asked.

“Yes, but we got separated because of some friends”

“Well, I wouldn’t get too worried if I was you”, Kori chuckled. “I am sure he’s looking for you right at this moment”

“You think so?”, Mari’s eyes gleamed with happiness.

Kori gave the ice pack and the tissue back to a passing waitress.

“Of course!”, Kori continued and took Mari by the hands. “The boy only has eyes for you, it’s so obvious how much he loves-“

“Shh!”, Dick interrupted her.

Kori furrowed her brow.

“Why are you interrupting me?”

Dick took Kori’s hand back from Mari and tried pulling her away, but Kori stayed planted firmly on the ground. Dick gulped.

“Well, we all know how much Tim loves not being alone in this type of events…”

“No, that wasn’t what I was going to say. I was going to say how much he loves-“

“Coffee!”

“Dick!”, Marinette intervened. “Will you please let her speak?”

“Yes, Dick, will you?”, Kori seemed to be sending daggers to him with her eyes. Which was better than the alternative of lazers.

“Well”, Dick began once more. Did he always start his sentences with well? “I would love to let you finish that sentence, babe”

“Thank you”

“But! But, but, but… There’s so many buts, right?”, she laughed nervously. The murderous eyes from both women were enough to get him back on track. “But, well, if you did finish that sentence, Tim would get very mad”

“With me?”, Kori said confused. “Why would he be angry with me?”

“Oh, no! No, he wouldn’t get angry at you, of course not. He would be angry at me for telling you that Tim has a crush on Mari”

“What?”, Mari asked not believing what Dick had just said.

Was it true? And if it was, what did that mean for Mari and Tim? She didn’t think she could imagine herself with Tim. But she could, because she had done that same thing millions of times already. Mari had thought about it the first time they went to the movies, as friends. And the time she taught him how to bake a cake, as friends. Or the time he invited her to the Wayne’s family dinner, as friends.

Of course she constantly thought about Tim _that_ way. As more than friends. She had thought about it the moment she asked him to be her boyfriend, at least for the night. And when he said yes, it almost felt as if he was saying yes to the real thing.

As if she was saying yes to her, not to a fake proposition.

And even that night, while knowing everything was fake, in the elevator she had thought about holding Tim’s hand and never letting go.

Mari had thought about it, but decided to push her thoughts to the side. She was in Gotham for work, for making her dreams true. Not to build any sort of relationship.

But wasn’t a relationship with Tim also a part of her dreams?

She couldn’t think and she couldn’t speak.

Dick, on the other hand, had gone terribly pale.

“Please, don’t say anything to Tim! I-I was lying, please forget it!”

He took Kori by the hand and dragged her away from the disaster that was Marinette. Was her mouth hanging? It probably was.

So, what if she wasn’t in Gotham for relationships?

Maybe she could find a loophole in her own plans.

And now, more than ever she needed to find Tim.

“Marinette!”

Oh no.

Not him.

Not now.

She couldn’t waste time on the past.

“I was sure it was you! I love your dress”, Adrien Agreste smiled kindly at her as he kissed her on each cheek. Behind him, Gabriel Agreste stood, always so serious.

“It is a pleasure to meet you again, Miss Dupain”

“It’s Dupain-Cheng”, she hissed between her teeth. Gabriel made deaf ears.

“I am so glad to see you again! How long has it been since the last time? Two years?”

“Three”, she corrected. “Three years”

“Time does pass fast, doesn’t it Mari?”

She wanted to puke. Her name sounded all kinds of wrong on his voice. It brought her back to the past, the past she had worked so hard to keep behind, and here he was ruining everything.

Mari needed to run away. She needed to find Dick and Kori, she needed to find anyone.

No.

She needed to find Tim and ask him to get out of that stupid event with her. Bruce would understand.

Adrien kept talking with his easy smile, while his father simply nodded behind. She couldn’t even hear what he was saying at this point. She wished for him to disappear.

“I don’t think we have met”, said someone behind her.

Her heart felt as if someone was pressing it way too hard until it burst.

Marinette turned her head around just in time for Tim to grab her hand. He was going to break her figers because of how hard he was gripping her, but she didn’t mind.

He was here.

“No, we haven’t”, said Adrien in that same stupid smile, but Mari could see how his eyes ran up and down the new arrival. “I’m Adrien Agreste, and this is my father Gabriel. Mari is my friend"

No, she wasn’t. She wasn't his and she would never be.

He was her ex boyfriend, the only person who had caused her to run away from Paris because of how bad he made her feel with herself. He was the one who made everyone get worried about her worsening health, he was the one Alya had threatened to stay as far away from Mari as the physic’s laws would allow. He was not her friend, and he had no business in that place.

Tim seemed to feel the same way as Mari.

“I’m Tim Drake-Wayne”, he said with the coldest voice Mari had ever heard from him. “I’m Mari’s boyfriend”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A song I was listening to while writing: Back In Town, by Matt Dusk. (Listen to it and I swear this sound’s just like Adrien’s inner thoughts)

**Author's Note:**

> A song I was listening to while writing: Sue me, by Sabrina Carpenter


End file.
